Journey to Holiness - a Lenten Project

The Journey begins...

Ash Wednesday : March 6, 2019
Joel 2: 12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20 -6:2; Matthew 6: 1-6,16-18

In his recent encylclical Holy Father Pope Francis set himself a task: "to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us 'to be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph 1:4)." (GE 2)

The Rector Major of the Salesians, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco treads the same line as he proposes to each and every one, whether religious or lay, young or old: 'holiness for you too!' (Strenna 2019)

This is, as well, the proposal of the Season that we begin today - a lenten project: Journey to Holiness. Beginning today we shall be making this journey with the Word, in the Spirit, responding to the call of God, to holiness! Be holy, for I who have called you am holy!

Lent, as a journey to holiness is not all about myself and what I do for my own sake! It is about others, it is about the Other. It is about journeying towards the Father, it is growing to be like the Father. There are three powerful means suggested to us today:

PRAYER: Prayer is to grow closer to the Father: more open and more docile. It is growing out of myself, growing out of my petty plans and enslaving self image!

PENANCE: Penance is to grow to be like the Father... thinking more about the others and the Other. Convinced that I should decrease and God should increase, we grow to be more and more like the Father: merciful, loving, kind and forgiving!

PHILANTHROPY: Love of persons around, is an easy way to grow out of oneself! It is in being sensitive to the needs and struggles of the other, that we learn to perspectivise those that are our own! Every good deed that we do, should take us to higher plane of living our Christian life: forgetting our own wants and reaching out to the more needy.

This is a life long journey and we need reminders and points of renewal on this journey: here comes an entire season to remind, renew and rejuvenate us on this journey. Let us begins is journey to holiness with hope and courage and a deep sense of faith.

Rewards of the Just Judge

March 5, 2019

Tuesday, 8th week in Ordinary Time

Sirach 35:2-15; Mark 10: 28-31

That the Lord is just, is not always a convenient thing for us. At times even the best of things that we do, may not really be deigned as good owing to the intention that is behind its doing. We may act kind to someone, expecting something in return. We may try to please someone because we wish to obtain a favour from the person. We may close an eye to a fault of someone merely because we like the person and make a mountain out of molehill just because we may not like the person. 

All these, are not factors that are known to an apparent eye; but the Lord knows them all. The Lord knows us through and through. Considering that the Lord is judge, the rewards may not be always what we like or enjoy, but the rewards will always be a means of enhancing the goodness in a child. 

In simple words, what we do is important; but why we do what we do and what we want to achieve through what we do, they matter a lot more. I am not what I do, but I am what I think, as and when I do whatever I do.